Liability Insurance

The debate over gun violence has focused on restricting sales of military-style assault weapons, semiautomatic pistols and background checks. Where is the concern for the victims of shooting? The Declaration of Independence states "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. " One bullet can rob a person of all these rights.

Doug Varrieur likes to shoot. Problem is, it's 25 miles to the nearest range, where they charge $45 an hour. What's a gun enthusiast to do? Lucky for him, Mr. Varrieur lives in Florida. Problem solved. Just erect a makeshift range in the back yard and fire away. It's perfectly legal. Re-read that if you want. It's just as nutty the second time around. In a story by my colleague Cammy Clark that appeared in Sunday's Miami Herald, we learn that Mr. Varrieur, who lives on Big Pine Key, once complained to a gun-shop owner about what a pain it was going to the range to shoot.

Spring is here, and you're feeling festive. So you decide to have the neighbors over for a barbecue. It's all fun and games until someone is hurt on your property, loses his ability to earn income and wants yours. Will your insurance cover it? "Let's say somebody trips and falls, or worse, they jump in the pool and become a paraplegic," said Cary Carbonaro, a certified financial planner in New York and Florida. "You're getting sued.". Those three little words could end up costing you a lot of money.

Editor: The following is the statement of the Harford County School Bus Contractors Association regarding the budget approved by the Harford County Board of Education on June 10: Like a great many of our fellow county residents, the members of the Harford County School Bus Contractors Association (HCSBCA) were dismayed to see the severe budget cuts made by the Harford County School Board at their June 10 meeting. We certainly acknowledge the incredibly difficult position of the school board in being faced with the need to close the gap between the budget they had approved earlier in the year and one they actually had enough money to fund.

Maryland doctors would pay 12 percent more in premiums for professional liability insurance under a rate increase proposed by Medical Mutual Liability Insurance Society of Maryland.It was the first rate increase requested by Med Mutual, which insures an estimated 75 percent of Maryland doctors, in at least seven years.In its filing, the insurer cited a recent change to the state law that sets a maximum amount for noneconomic damage awards, which the company said was causing costs and premiums to rise.

Suppose that the state of Maryland decided, with no rational explanation, to charge car owners in Hagerstown $25 for their license plates while charging car owners in Salisbury $50 for the same plates. Or suppose that the state charged drivers in Towson $10 to renew their drivers' licenses but drivers in Dundalk $20.If such blatant, arbitrary and mindless fee distinctions were put into effect, we can be certain a citizen revolt would ensue. And even if the legislature did not respond to grievances, it is likely the courts would swiftly strike down this discrimination.

Reconciling longstanding differences, doctors and trial lawyers presented Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. with a joint proposal yesterday to keep medical liability insurance premiums in check by using tax dollars to cover rate increases. Ehrlich reviewed the draft plan at a morning meeting with leaders of the trial bar and MedChi, the professional association for Maryland doctors. Representatives of the Medical Mutual Liability Society of Maryland, the largest insurer of doctors in the state, also attended.

MARYLAND'S GROWING medical malpractice insurance troubles are strikingly similar to what doctors and hospitals in the Philadelphia region started confronting a few years ago. From my perspective as someone who invested 16 years in Maryland politics and health policy before relocating to Pennsylvania, I would urge legislators in Annapolis to deal with this issue now, during the current General Assembly session -- before the availability and affordability of...

Maryland's largest provider of doctors' liability insurance has refused to provide detailed data to a state Senate commission investigating a medical insurance crisis, and legislators said yesterday they might issue subpoenas to gather the information. Sen. Brian E. Frosh, chairman of the special commission on medical malpractice liability insurance, was furious after learning that the Medical Mutual Liability Insurance Society rebuffed questions on claims history, investment reserves and data used to calculate rates.

Besides drinking beer, there are two other pastimes that Bavarians love: driving and sport-shooting, including hunting. Bavarians build BMW's "Ultimate Driving Machines. " Bavarians' national dress is hunter green. No one who visits Munich is likely to miss the German Hunting and Fishing Museum in the middle of the main shopping street. When in Munich, I saw the world's best-known opera devoted to shooting and hunting, Carl Maria von Weber's " Der Freischütz " ("The Marksman"), with its unforgettable Hunters' Chorus singing, "What on earth can equal the pleasure of hunting?"

Perhaps Mr. Goodman could be advised to present his case for gun rights advocacy without disparaging the character of someone he doesn't even know, my friend, Mr. Britt ("Obama, O'Malley missing the point on gun control," letters Feb. 21). is no sycophant. Using mocking and derogatory language about your opponent on an issue does nothing to justify or promote your position. Perhaps Mr. Goodman should stick to the facts of his own argument rather than imagining the thoughts of others. It would be nice to hear why he criticizes President Obama for nominating a permanent director of ATF. I think it is absurd to leave that position vacant. Maybe he could tell us why he thinks we should protect the people who are such poor marksmen or have bad intentions that they need "scary looking weapons," too numerous to catalog, in the first place or old-fashioned guns that are easily retrofitted with speed loaders so they can shoot more bullets. To me, Mr. Goodman makes a really good case for banning all weapons. I'd rather protect people going to school, worship, their workplace or the mall from those who want the capacity to shoot lots of bullets in no time flat. I support the proposed gun safety measures to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. He also seems unhappy with the proposals for gun owners in Maryland including $250k liability insurance; it doesn't sound like nearly enough to me. Perhaps he would also share the source of his statistics...

The debate over gun violence has focused on restricting sales of military-style assault weapons, semiautomatic pistols and background checks. Where is the concern for the victims of shooting? The Declaration of Independence states "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. " One bullet can rob a person of all these rights.

Perhaps some facts would help the sycophantic Mr. Britt understand how truly vacuous and meaningless our president's recent theatrical performance on gun control, complete with a wallpaper of children behind him, was ("State lawmakers should follow President Obama's lead on gun safety," Letters, Jan. 24). I'm sure Mr. Britt was equally impressed by our governor's performance in which he claimed that the Newtown tragedy demonstrated the need for Obamacare is needed! The political grandstanding of our politicians is shameful!

As a legal owner of a firearm in Maryland and a registered Democrat who voted for Gov. Martin O'Malley in the last two election cycles, I was initially supportive of the push following the Newtown tragedy for new gun legislation ("O'Malley to push stricter gun limits," Jan. 15). However, as time has passed since that tragedy, I have come to see that Governor O'Malley's push for new gun legislation is an attempt to use the Newtown tragedy as a way to further his own political career and cement his standing with the base of the Democratic Party in preparation for a run for President in 2016.

Unlicensed home improvement contractors will undoubtedly be trying to take advantage “of distraught homeowners anxious to complete repairs as soon as possible,” Maryland's Labor and Licensing Department said the day after the storm called Sandy blew through the state. “Scam artists often follow damaging storms. Don't be fooled by an unlicensed contractor who offers to do a job at a lower price than a licensed contractor,” said Leonard Howie, secretary of Maryland's Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, in a statement Wednesday.

Besides drinking beer, there are two other pastimes that Bavarians love: driving and sport-shooting, including hunting. Bavarians build BMW's "Ultimate Driving Machines. " Bavarians' national dress is hunter green. No one who visits Munich is likely to miss the German Hunting and Fishing Museum in the middle of the main shopping street. When in Munich, I saw the world's best-known opera devoted to shooting and hunting, Carl Maria von Weber's " Der Freischütz " ("The Marksman"), with its unforgettable Hunters' Chorus singing, "What on earth can equal the pleasure of hunting?"

Michele Middleton, 9 months pregnant, has been waiting more than an hour with 20 other expectant mothers to see the doctor at People's Community Health Center, near Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.The 18-year-old is unmarried and unemployed, and is about to have her first baby. Her due date is just four days away.The Baltimore resident said she doesn't mind waiting: "The doctors spend time with you, ask you if you have any problems."Ms. Middleton's recent wait was caused by a problem not unique to People's Community: The nonprofit clinic has no permanent obstetrician.

Organizers of the charitable Half Full Triathlon are thrilled Lance Armstrong will compete in their October Howard County race. But critics in the sports community aren't sharing their enthusiasm. Because Armstrong has been banned for life from all sports governed by federations, organizers of the 3-year-old Half Full had to give up their status as a sanctioned race to welcome him, losing the prestige that comes with that status and opening the door to critics who say Armstrong's tarnished reputation stains the event.

A General Assembly work group looking into how the legislature should respond to a court decision ruling pit bulls inherently dangerous wants to rewrite the state's liability laws to treat all breeds equally and to do away with the doctrine that essentially gives each dog one free bite, a co-chairman of the panel said. Del. Curt Anderson, the House chairman of Task Force to Study Court Decision Regarding Pit Bulls, said the consensus of the panel was that the Court of Appeals was off the mark when it singled out a particular breed in a ruling this spring.